09.10.20 | Adoption

Omaha, (Neb) – September 9, 2020 – Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska (LFS) announces it has been included in the latest round of COVID-19 relief grants that support workforce stability programs awarded by First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO).

LFS has provided workforce stability services to members of Nebraska’s refugee and immigrant community for more than 20 years. LFS is a nationally recognized leader in securing first-time job placements for newly arrived Nebraskans, working with businesses to assist more than 1000 people in the last five years to find employment.

Refugees and immigrants work many jobs which have, in recent months, been deemed as essential. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in early 2020, the effects were deeply felt among this population. LFS’s International Center of the Heartland, the largest and most established case management and support service provider for refugees and immigrants in Omaha, saw an increase in financial and employment questions by nearly 200% within weeks of the outbreak. LFS helped to complete more than 30 individuals complete unemployment filings in the wake of the pandemic, and others have also sought help to find different jobs.

LFS will use the FNBO Workforce Stability funds to provide employment specialists and career counselors who are working with clients to assess their skills and connect them with the best possible employment opportunity to meet their individual needs. It also allows LFS to provide interpreter expenses for languages not offered through program staff. “This funding helps new Nebraskans overcome barriers to employment, grow in their career field, and work towards financial self-sufficiency,” said Emily Sutton, assistant vice president of Community Services. She continued, “We are grateful to FNBO for this Workforce Stability Grant that will fill gaps that currently exist so that all new Americans looking for work can be served at LFS despite how long they’ve lived in the U.S.”

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